Otra Mundo
by powerofthepen123
Summary: What happens when trans!pan!Aphrodite, trans!lesbian!Robin Hood, Bearskin, bi!Romulus, gay!Cinderella, gay!Merlin, a nonbinary faery changeling, two teenage dragons, Puss in Boots, Kitty So a lesbian human woman, and the bisexual descendant of a warrior goddess all cross paths in a Nuyorican cafe in Washington Heights? Find out here.
1. Introduction

So this is an idea I've had for awhile. Basically, a bunch of fairy-tale, mythological, and folkloric beings (and even some from kids' movies) are alive and living under assumed names, working in a Puerto Rican restaurant in New York City. It's loosely based on _American Dragon: Jake Long, Puss in Boots _(Fuss and Rina are Puss in Boots and Kitty Softpaws respectively), and _The Fosters_, but not enough to go in any of those archives. It's basically a spoof of a bunch of awesome fantasy stories throughout history, with bouts of realism thrown in.

Now let's begin this incredibly odd journey.


	2. Flashback

_Flashback_

Alexandra Santiago Chaput went still with a knife in her hand, raising her midnight black eyes across the slightly dwindling crowd of customers.

Carrying a leather briefcase and clad professionally in a light blue button-down, a red tie, and khakis, social worker Bill Warner nursed the Diet Coke in front of him and attempted to make small talk with a sullen, androgynous-looking dark-haired teenager in a hoodie and ragged jeans, who had a backpack on the floor next to them and looked like they wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Ay! ¿Tristan, podría terminar aquí? Creo que el trabajador social ha llegado," Alex called loudly to her sister's child, who was currently working as a busperson and whom she was helping wash dishes, as she dried off her hands and reached behind her to untie her apron.

Sure, besides Alex and Tristan, the kitchen only contained three people at the moment...but the kitchen could get loud sometimes. With the werewolf ancestry she'd inherited from her father only amping up her already-heightened hearing, Alex needed earplugs to make the environment tolerable.

Tristan looked out the bay window, xir large, dark gold, unbearably pretty faery eyes scanning the room. "Claro, Tía Alex. ¿Sabes el nombre del chico?"

"Su nombre es Logan Castillo," she replied. "Voy a llamar Tía Juliana." Kissing the seventeen-year-old on the cheek, Alex tied her brown curls up into a bun, left the room and offered what she hoped was a charming but professional smile to Bill.

"Hello, Ms. Santiago Chap…" the silver-haired man smiled awkwardly. "I'm sorry, I don't know how to pronounce this."

"Chaput," she said, correctly enunciating the French surname she'd inherited from her mother. "It came from my mother." Her voice left no room for discussion. The woman had died shortly after Alex met Juliana under mysterious circumstances which neither Alex nor her two sisters enjoyed discussing.

"I see," said Bill. "Well, this is Logan Castillo. S-"

Logan cut Bill off with an icy glare, and Alex wondered what the man had been about to say. "It's just Castillo. I go by my last name. And I use they pronouns. Not he or she."

_That explains why Bill would choose Juliana and me as foster parents, _mused Alex silently, the light bulb in her brain clicking on. _As ridiculous and transphobic as it is, I'd imagine a lot of heteronormative couples would be scared off by a nonbinary foster child._

"Okay, we can call you Castillo, then," agreed Alex. "My name is Alex. I have a partner, Juliana, and a daughter, Mia. She's just a little younger than you. You're going to be living with us for a few days at least, and I hope you like it here."

"_Castillo_," Bill continued, barely missing a beat, "has had some...issues lately. Ah...maybe we should continue the discussion with your partner present, Ms. Santiago Chaput?"

Alex sized up Castillo until she felt the teen squirm under her gaze. They would have to be about thirteen, and with those eyes...

"_I _don't want to talk about it," they protested, trying to tug black bangs down over the fiery golden orbs in question.

Those were the same eyes that Alex's daughter, Mia, and Mia's father Jabbar, had. Although Alex doubted Castillo had any relation to her college boyfriend and their daughter, she did know that the resemblance was no coincidence.

Locking eyes with Castillo, Alex smiled gently, just trying to let them know that it was okay. After all, once upon a time, she hadn't been so different from this frightened thirteen-year-old.

"Whatever these issues are, Mr. Warner and Castillo," Alex assured the two, "I'm confident that Juliana and I can help Castillo handle it."

Or, rather, that _Alex _could help Castillo handle it. And really, she wasn't even a hundred percent confident about that.

Pursing her lips, she said, "Juliana is out of town at the moment, actually. She does business with a few other clients besides Otra Mundo, and she's currently on a business trip. My daughter is at a sleepover with a few of her friends. So it's just the two of us tonight. I hope that's okay."

Castillo actually seemed to perk up a bit at hearing this. "Yeah, it's...it's fine."

"That sounds alright, Ms. Santiago Chaput," agreed Bill. "In that case, I need to warn you about something."

"What is it?" she said, feigning curiosity. After all, a thirteen-year-old kid with eyes like that, needing an emergency placement during the full moon? The _issue _Bill was trying so hard to avoid was so painfully obvious, at least to a Bellator.

"Well, you see, according to the Morrises, Castillo's last foster parents…" Bill loosened his tie, mopping nervously at his brow with the napkin Alex quickly handed him.

"My retarded foster parents think I'm, like, a dragon or something," scoffed Castillo, obviously trying to downplay their fear and hurt. "I think it's because I'm Filipino. Which is just so racist."

Like any white man, Bill flushed deeply at the mention of racism.

"Well, I don't know why they would think that," Alex lied, staring down the teen, "But we don't use that kind of language in my house, Castillo. We don't say _retarded. _That word is ableist and oppressive, and I will not tolerate it."

Castillo stared right back, and for an uncomfortable moment neither would back down. But then they softened. "Okay. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called them retarded. I'll try not to do it again."

Alex smiled her forgiveness, and the two adults got back down to business. After going over some paperwork with Bill and discussing things like health concerns, they shook hands and Bill left, promising Castillo that he would check up with them in one week.

"Now, I'm not going to put you to work, Castillo," Alex said. "But I do need to introduce you to the staff. And before _that, _I'm going to close up shop soon."

"So you _own _this place?" Castillo asked, looking around.

Alex nodded. "And I want you to know that if there is _anything _I need to know, even if you think I won't believe you, you can tell me."

They immediately put on a poker face.

"Have you had dinner yet?" she asked, changing the subject. "You look hungry."

"Not yet," Castillo admitted. "Bill said he'd buy me something, but he kind of forgot."

"You must be starving then," she said, knowing how fast Castillo's metabolism likely was and how many calories they'd require just to keep from malnourishment; starving actually wouldn't be that far from the truth if she didn't get some food into this kid fast. They were already too skinny…._Dios mio, _Alex realized with a mock-shudder. _I'm turning into my mother. _"My family and I usually just heat up leftovers from the grill. _Esta noche, tenemos_ _tostones - __plátanos con arroz y frijoles. ¿Hablas español?"_

"_Sí, mi madre me enseñó que cuando era pequeño,_" Castillo replied. "_Ella era Filipina. Mi padre nació en los Estados Unidos, pero sus padres eran de Rusia y Jamaica_."

"_Es interesante," _Alex responded, now curious about Castillo's parents. Had the Castillos ever told their child of the family's true nature?

She'd ask later. "¿_Comamos, sí?"_

Castillo's eyes lit up at the mention of eating. Alex laughed and walked over to her assistant manager, who was currently going by the name of Martin Ambrose. A bit close to his original name, but nobody had gotten onto the 1500-year-old wizard's trail lately and besides, there was no point in beating a dead horse. Martin he was and Martin he'd stay.

"Hey, Martin," she said. "My new foster kid, Castillo, just arrived today and we're both hungry. I'm going to close up so we can have dinner, okay?"

"Sure, Alex," replied Martin agreeably, heading over to the kitchen to let the other employees know.

"Oh, and Martin?"

"Yeah, Alex?"

"Castillo seems to be nonbinary or genderqueer. They have a very androgynous presentation and prefer they/their/them pronouns. You know we're respectful of gender diversity here, so Castillo and I are going to need you to respect that and not misgender them."

"Sure," Martin agreed, as she'd known he would. They already had three transgender employees at the grill and bar, pretty much everyone on staff (with the lone exception of Franz) was queer, and Alex was adamant about respect. Even if they'd wanted to, none of the Otra Mundo employees would dare be transphobic. He lowered his voice. "Species?"

"Dragon, I'm pretty sure," Alex whispered back. "They have dragon eyes, a scarily fast metabolism, and, well, how many thirteen-year-old foster kids would need an _emergency placement _right after the _first night of the full moon_? I mean, it's possible that they could be a different kind of shape shifter. But what are the odds?"

Martin nodded. "I agree with you. Poor kid, probably went through their first transformation alone. Do you think it's a coincidence that they got placed with you, of all people?"

Both adults looked over at the androgynous thirteen-year-old, who looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Bill's mundane, as far as I know. But, Martin, I don't believe in coincidence," Alex replied, glancing out at the sky. Damn, almost sunset.

She needed to get Castillo upstairs, and fast.

The thirteen-year-old stood up shakily and walked over to Alex and Martin, keeping their eyes down to hide the bright glow of inner fire just beginning to show through. Their olive-skinned, currently humanoid hands were stuffed in their pockets to conceal the hint of growing claws.

"A-Alex?" stammered Castillo desperately, their backpack already slung around their shoulders like they expected to be thrown out. "I…I…I think I need to get upstairs. Like, right now."

She nodded. "Come on, kiddo."

Almost running, she took them upstairs.

Once the two were safely locked inside Alex's soundproofed apartment, the woman – the Bellator – spun and looked at the teenager.

"Castillo," she said carefully, then just decided to wing it (pun not intended). "I know you're a dragon."

"W-what?" they asked in terror.

"It's okay, kiddo," a furry black feline who clearly wasn't happy about being woken up from her nap assured the two humanoids. "You're in good hands here. Alex…is a little bit like you."

Castillo gasped, and Alex smiled gently.

"Castillo, this is Sisyphus and Katarina de los Botos, otherwise known as Fuss and Rina," she introduced the cats, as Fuss, a ginger tom, sat up and merely observed the new arrival, licking a paw. "Fuss, Rina, this is Castillo. They'll be staying with us for a while."

Finally, in typical Fuss fashion, Fuss leaped from the couch and dramatically swept over to Alex and Castillo.

"Rest assured, little weredragon," the talking cat reassured the teen. "We are not foes."

"Castillo, it's okay," said Alex. "Really. I know you're a dragon. You know my cats can talk…"

"_Your _cats!" blustered Fuss indignantly.

"Oh, hush," Rina told her husband in exasperation. "As far as Juliana, Mia, and most of the world are concerned, we _are _Alex's cats. And for now at least, we need them to think that."

"She took my boots, but she shall not make me a pet," huffed Fuss.

The two women, one human and one feline, exchanged eye-rolls. The de los Botoses had been old friends of Alex's parents, were godparents to Alex and her sisters Cami and Amelia, and now served as quietly protective and loving aunt and uncle to Alex's eleven-year-old daughter, Mia. They were practically family. She just wished Juliana could know about them, because her family was also Juliana's family.

"_Anyway,_" said Rina, gesturing with an ebony paw for Alex to hurry up.

_Right. Sunset. _Castillo was starting to lose control and looked vastly uncomfortable about it.

"Castillo, I'm assuming you don't know much about Roman mythology…"

"I've…done some research, actually. It's an interest of mine."

"Set down your bag, hon, and just let yourself shift," Alex told the teen. "It should come naturally."

Castillo quickly did as told. Within minutes, fire wrapped around them, and a beautiful indigo dragon stood in Castillo's place.


	3. The Soccer Game

Okay, yeah, and the story also pays homage to the Jennifer Scales series. I'll need to pretty much copy and paste the entire first few paragraphs, as I know almost nothing about soccer. After that, I'll wing it (foolish pun intended).

Chapter One

Amelia Bellona Martinez Santiago

The Chavez School Warriors were on their way to their third straight Intermediate Level Community Junior League Soccer Championship. In sudden-death overtime, the score was tied at 1-1 with the King Academy Falcons. As captain of the Berets, it was my job to make sure that score didn't tip in the Falcons' favor. I'd just turned thirteen the week before, and I wanted a win for my birthday present.

As one of the King Defenders approached, I kicked the ball sharply to the left, into what could have been open field. Skimming the grass, it nestled perfectly in the path of my best friend and teammate, Letitia Harris. I grinned knowingly and delightedly at my friend's change in direction. There were times when I could swear the two of us could read each other's minds.

Letty advanced toward the enemy net, grinding her teeth (yes, I could hear that. Don't question it). I slipped behind the defender who had challenged me and matched pace with the last opposing fullback.

Unfortunately, it had rained most of yesterday, leaving the ground with a pleasant earthy smell…but even though the sky was clear today, the ground was still dangerously slippery. More than twenty yards away from the goal, Tina went skidding into the grass and mudding with a shriek of unbridled rage, a fall that could very well sprain her ankle. She'd just barely managed to push the ball off the ground and over the foot of the fullback. It came skidding by me, and within a tenth of a second I saw my shot. My eyes locked on it and I knew they were doing that weird flashing thing I hated. But that didn't matter now – the ball was prey, and I was a predator. And I was going to win.

With an involuntary, soft growl that I hoped no one else heard, I darted forward and kicked the ball straight up with my toe. Then I somersaulted into the air, twisted, and sent the ball sailing toward the net with a hard kick. For an upside-down second, I glimpsed the goalie dangling in the sky from the earth above me, and my long dark curls, tamed with a hair tie, flopping down so the end of the ponytail was in my line of vision. Then I twisted again, my body moving like a smooth, supple snake's, completed the midair roll, and landed on my feet as the ball slammed past the goalie's reaching fingers. As it soared, lifting the net and carrying it back several feet, everyone on the field stopped and stared. Finally, ball and net both landed, upright, on the very edge of the field. Just barely in bounds, and with the ball in the net.

Game over. 2-1, Warriors.

I jogged back downfield, grinning and anticipating high-fives and cheers of congratulations from my coach and teammates. But still, every single one was struck still and silent, just gaping at me like I was a circus sideshow freak.

Finally, Letitia limped over, carefully favoring her good ankle. Her tight black curls and dark skin were streaked with mud.

"What…the actual fuck?" she gasped, unsuccessfully trying to scrape gunk out of her hair. "Girl, you were upside down."

"Um…yeah," I said, confused. "I didn't exactly have a lot of time. It had to be perfect. Any of us could have done it."

"Um, no, we really couldn't," Melissa Huang replied softly, jogging up to us, her dark eyes wide.

I would have scoffed and protested more, but then the field was filled with cheering parents and Coach Bernadette Montoya, who lifted me by the elbows and shook me like a maraca.

In all the chaos – the way too loud chaos – I didn't think to look for my family's reaction to my little trick. By the time I sought them out in the crowd, Mami and Castillo were on their feet, cheering just as loudly as anyone else.

After the excitement died down, Letitia asked if I wanted to sleep over.

"Yeah, just let me ask Mami first," I agreed, wringing non-existant sweat out of my hair as I walked over to my family…everyone but Mom, that is.

"Hey, Mami, can I…"

"No," said my mother without missing a beat.

"But you don't even know what I was going to ask!"

"Yes, Mia, I do. You were going to ask if you can sleep over at Letitia's house. And I'm saying no."

"But…"

"No."

"But…"

"No, mi'ja. Es final. You can sleep over another night."

"Tomorrow?"

"I'm going to…let you handle this," said Castillo, my older sibling, bowing out. They quickly excused themselves and walked off to talk with some friends.

"Logan Castillo Amaya Santi…" Mom sighed. "Oh, forget it. Mia, you may not spend the night at Letitia's house. We have something going on with the family at home."

"What?"

"Just something we need to discuss with you, mi'ja. Something we need to tell you."

"Can't you just tell me right now? Or we could wait until Mom gets back from her business trip."

"No, Mia. We really need to tell you tonight. Over dinner, okay?"

"I…fine," I muttered. "Just let me tell Letty I can't go."


	4. Disclaimer

Disclaimers:

I don't own _The Grimm Fairy Tales_

I don't own Greek or British or Roman mythology.

I don't own _The Fosters._

I don't own _American Dragon: Jake Long_

I don't own _Jennifer Scales_

I don't own _Puss in Boots_

I don't own Robin Hood.


	5. Chapter 1 Continued

Chapter One (Cont)

_Mia Martinez_

"_¿Qué es secreto el grande qué absolutamente tengo que saber?" _I asked sarcastically as our two cats, Rina and Fuss, scampered over.

"That's right, it's the night of…" a Spanish-accented man's voice greeted us.

"Sisyphus!" Mami hissed…at our cat? "_Permítame decirle a mi propia hija la verdad sobre la familia de su padre_."

"¿_Qué_?" I demanded, spinning on my mother. "¿_Y quién lo dijo_?"

"You've done it now," snickered Castillo, sitting down in one of our easy chairs.

"Wait…you honestly expect me to believe that the _cat_ just talked?" I realized.

"It is true, little Mia," Fuss said, leaping onto the coffee table.

I almost shrieked.

Rina, a beautiful black-and-white queen with sky blue eyes, padded up to me and nuzzled against my arm. "It's okay, _querida,_" she soothed, her voice softer than Fuss's. "This…is just the beginning."

"Of what, exactly?" I asked, my heart beating way too fast. "Oh my God, I'm having a conversation with a talking cat."

"Two talking cats, a warrior woman, and a dragon, actually," Fuss corrected her. Mami and Rina groaned in exasperation.

"_What_?"

"Fuss!" Mami snapped.

"Explain. Now. You're apparently a warrior woman…and I am too?"

"We don't know for sure about that yet," Castillo inserted quickly. "I mean, it's possible. But the part we were_ planning _to tell you about – the part we know about for sure - actually has to do with your dad."

"_What_?"

"We should…get into some family history first," Mami said quietly. "Mia, this is going to sound unbelievable."

"Can't be more unbelievable than talking cats, warrior women, and _dragons_," I said. "Am I dreaming, or are we all living in an alternate fairy tale universe?"

"Hard to say," Castillo noted thoughtfully. "I mean, how do we really know this isn't all a dream – or a dream inside a dream? How do we know there aren't infinite universes?"

Everyone just stared.

"Dios mio, Castillo, you are strange," said Fuss, shaking his head.

Castillo shrugged. They'd been told this many times before. Mostly by me.

"Can we get back on track, please?" pleaded Rina.

"Yes, _thank _you, Rina," agreed Mami. Turning to me, she said, "Remember all the stories I told you when you were little? About Little Red Riding Hood also being Rose Red from the story of Snow White? And how the two sisters were actually the great-granddaughters of the Roman war goddess Bellona?"

"And how Little Red Riding Hood actually _fell in love _with the Big Bad Wolf, and he never ate her or her granddaughter? They were good stories, Mom, but I'm too old for them now. What, are you trying to say that all these creatures were real or something?"

"That," said Mami seriously, "is _exactly _what I'm saying, Amelia. But there's a detail I left out. Red and the Wolf's real names were Adrian Santiago Garcia and Rouge Chaput. Now, how do those names sound familiar?"

It was obvious what she was saying. Mami's full name was Alexandra Santiago Chaput, which meant…

"You're saying that you're actually the _daughter _of Adrian and Rouge? That you're some warrior woman…"

"Bellator," Castillo added oh-so-helpfully. "They're called Bellators. Latin for _warrior_."

"Some Bellator," I continued, "descended from the gods? You're the niece of Snow White? You _fight monsters_?"

"Precisely. And that's only part of the story, Mia. My family history. There is so much more to this. Mia…your father was a dragon."

"Well, that's just…"

"True, Mia. It's true."

"Which means that I'm one too, right?"

By now, I'd just decided to play along until I could run for it.

"Yeah, pretty much," Castillo said.

"I think I might be in shock or something," I informed everybody. "But I just have to ask: why did you have to tell me tonight?"

"Because tonight, sis," Castillo informed me, "is the full moon. To be more precise, it's the first full moon after your thirteenth birthday. So it's also the night of your first transformation."


	6. Chapter 2: Proof

Chapter Two

_Logan Castillo Amaya Santiago_

"Wait a second," my sister said, leaning back into the couch and rubbing her forehead. "My first transformation? You mean I'm going to turn into a freakish scaly lizard thing? _Seriously_? What, am I also going to hunt sheep and carry off damsels?"

"Please tell me you're joking," Mami groaned.

"No, of course not," I said patiently, remembering my own first time.

I hadn't wanted to tell the human couple I was staying with, the Morrises, that I'd felt strange. Yeah, well, when I spontaneously combusted and grew wings and a tail and tried to hide in my room, only for my foster mother to discover me cowering in there hours later, they figured it out pretty damn fast. And they promptly kicked me out, at which point I was forced to wander the streets, hiding from view as best I could, until I figured out how to get back to human form and found a payphone to call my social worker, Bill, and give. After chewing me out, he struggled for hours to find an emergency placement home. My 'emergency' foster family had turned out to be Mami, Bee (what we called our other mother), and Mia.

"Mia, you're still going to be yourself in dragon form," I told her. "You'll just look different. And kind of badass."

She buried her face in a pillow. "Yeah, you would think so, wouldn't you? And where do you fit into all of this anyway?"

"I'm a dragon too. Well…dragon mixed in with a bunch of other stuff. But dragon's the most dominant as far as visible genes go."

"Is this just like a Caribbean or Spanish thing, then?"

"I doubt it. There are dragon legends from all over the world. And there aren't a whole lot of dragons still living, but the ones that are tend to be a pretty diverse bunch."

"Why not? I'd imagine a bunch of flying, fire-breathing, overgrown lizards would handle the whole 'natural selection' thing pretty well….Hey, wait a second! Besides the talking cats, exactly what evidence do I have that both of you aren't just lying or delusional?! What evidence do I have that _I'm _not just delusional?"

"That kick on the soccer field, for starters," Mami replied. "Your classmates weren't kidding when they said they couldn't have done that, _querida._"

"And our eyes," I added. "How many people do you know that have eyes like ours? Eyes like your dad's?"

"Not many," she admitted in a small voice.

"Exactly. There's a reason for that. Our eyes, the way they look – it's because of dragon blood. Which not a whole lot of humans have. Anyone you see with eyes like ours, that's because of dragon blood."

"Or some weird recessive trait not found in 99% of the population," she pointed out.

"That's not how recessive trait work, Mia," I said. "For you to visibly carry that trait, Mami would have to have the allele too. Which she obviously doesn't – her eyes look like a human's. And since she doesn't have it visibly, at least one of her parents would need to have the allele for you to inherit it. Which isn't all that likely if this 'recessive gene' is as rare as you seem to think." **(A/N My inner science geek talking xD )**

"But it's _possible, _or the gene would have died out a long time ago."

"True. And it almost did, but we survived."

"We?"

"Dragons."

She groaned. "Don't remind me. But, Castillo, that's still not conclusive proof. You have two talking cats, a random kick that a human could totally do, and a rare eye color that we just happen to share."

"Yes, a rare eye color," said Rina, "that you seem to think resulted from a rare gene. And the two of you share it, despite not being biologically related. And _maybe _a human could do that kick – an adult, a professional soccer player. But a thirteen-year-old in middle-school level soccer?"

"Still not proof," she informed the cat. "I was hopped up on adrenaline and endorphins. Lots of humans can do amazing things in moments of extreme pressure."

"Amelia, a soccer game is not exactly _extreme pressure,_" Mami told her bluntly. "This isn't comparable to a mother lifting up a car by herself to protect her child trapped underneath."

She fell silent.

"Ay, the stubbornness of the mundanes does not become you, Ame...Mia," Fuss said with a derisive shake of his head.

"There's still something that doesn't add up," she pointed out. "If you're a dragon, Castillo, why do you look human?"

"I don't always," I shot back. "This, the way I look now, is just an adaptation. Shape shifting. It helps me survive among humans. How do you think they'd react if a dragon was just walking around the streets of New York? Sure, not all humans are like that…but a lot of them would come after me with pitchforks and torches."

"If you don't always look human," she said, finally turning back to look at me. "I want proof. Visual proof. If you're a shape shifter, transform. Now."

"Fine," I agreed, figuring it was a reasonable request. I stood up and let fire wrap around me, revealing my dragon form.

Mia sighed, sounding almost disappointed. "Okay, I believe you."


	7. Chapter 3: Awkwardness

Chapter Three

_Mia Martinez_

Castillo…what was the word? Shifted? ...shifted back to human, relieved, and sat down.

"So," I said awkwardly. "I'm supposed to figure out how to do _that _in the next few hours?"

"Well, you don't really figure it out, from what I remember of my first time," they explained. "It just kinda happens."

"And our eyes…everybody with dragon blood has eyes like that?"

"The lady is getting it!" said Fuss in delight.

I glared at him.

"Honey, sometimes a man's best idea is to just be quiet and let the women – and nonbinary people – talk," Rina informed him sweetly.

Castillo laughed. "Shots fired, Rina!"

"Can we get back on track, please?" pleaded Mami. "I want Mia to be prepared for tonight."

"Okay, okay, Mami," Castillo said. "Mia, what do you want to know?"

"How does it feel? What am I going to look like?"

"Well, there's a ton of adrenaline, and it feels…probably like playing soccer, actually," they responded. "Exhilarating. Awesome. Euphoric. Strong. Kind of scary if you don't know what you're doing."

"Which I totally don't," I muttered, tugging on a dark tendril of hair.

"You have me," they offered. "That's more than what I had."

"What am I going to look like?" I repeated. Was I going to be _bald? _I hated my hair sometimes, but I didn't want it to _not _be there. It was still mine.

"Probably something like me, but it depends, really. There are different kinds of dragons, from all over the world. What kind you are depends on your family history."

I sighed. I was a mix of Black, Spanish, Taino, Chinese, Indian, Italian, and French – my family history spanned three continents and at least ten countries. Not to mention at least four species (goddess, werewolf, dragon, human). I could look like damn near anything. All Castillo really knew was that I'd look reptilian, but what exactly did that mean?

"You're not helping," I informed my sibling.

"I know," they replied in exasperation. "But I'm the only other dragon you know, okay?"

"Castillo's right, Mia," said Mami, taking my hand and squeezing gently, comfortingly. "The two of you need to stick together."

"Freak solidarity," Castillo said facetiously.

"Don't tell her that," groaned Rina.

"Aye, what is all this groaning tonight?" Fuss said. "We should be celebrating the little lady's first transformation."

"It's not exactly easy, dude," Castillo informed him. "I've been there – you haven't."

Fuss went quiet, acknowledging the truth of their words.

"Speaking of," said Mami, peeking out the living room window, "It's almost sunset."


	8. Chapter 4: The Transformation

Chapter Four:

_Castillo Amaya_

"¡_Puñeta_!" my sister yelled before she could stop herself, so loudly that it was almost comical.

"Amelia Bellona Mar…" Mami started on the lecture.

"Alex, right now is really not the time," Fuss cut her off.

"_Silencia_, Sisyphus," Rina told him. "Mia is Alex's daughter, not ours. Alex has the right to lecture her kids."

"Did you teach her to talk that way?" Mami demanded.

"No, she taught herself," I protested. "Mia is thirteen years old. Yes, she's a kid…but in draconic culture, adulthood comes at sixteen. Don't assume that everything about her is something that _someone else _decided for her."

"Castillo has a point," Rina told Mami thoughtfully. "Yes, you are Mia's mother and to you, she will always be your baby, just as you and your sisters were Rouge's…but your kids are growing up, Alejandrita. You need to realize that."

"¿_Podemos volver al hecho de que me estoy convirtiendo en un _monstruo gigante lagartija escamosa?" Mia demanded, stomping her foot. She always was pissy when she was afraid. Anyone dragon who felt backed into a corner would come out with claws extended.

"I got it," I said. "Okay. Mia, shifting can be scary if you don't know what's going on or if you don't have someone walking you through it or you weren't warned beforehand. I didn't have that, so as sappy as it sounds, I'm going to be that person for you."

"Thanks, but can I just get this over with?" she asked.

"Wait for it…."

There was complete and utter silence in the apartment as we all watched the sunset. Mami ran over to the window and snapped the blinds shut…

And we were already transforming.

There were several yells of _"¡Puñeta!" _from my sister, who was clearly pissed off at the changes she was involuntarily undergoing, which Mami was thankfully realizing she really shouldn't be lecturing her about when there were bigger issues going on.

Wow, that sounded like puberty.

When the transformation was over – within minutes – we just kind of stared at each other.

"'Sup," I said, trying to get us both past the awkwardness.

"It's real, then," she sighed.

"Oh, this is just the beginning, Mia," Rina informed her.

"You," said Fuss with a melodramatic toss of his head, "are in for a world of strange wonders."

"_Puñeta_."


End file.
